Per a yahoo CSX Sightings posting earlier by dicktc13, Q264 came East all the way to Framingham today, 3/11...Anyone know if this is the new move for them, or if the power just needed to be WYE'd for Cab signal purposes? Haven't heard that symbol down this way in a very long time

In late January or early February 2014 after one or our major snowfalls, CSX parked 4 locomotives (1 CSX + 3 ICE/DME SD40s) and several multilevel cars at Framingham's CP yard, crewless but ready to head west. I don't know if ML cars were loads or mts. My guess is the train's presence in Framingham was due to weather induced traffic congestion at E Brookfield. I was startled to see this to say the least!

MBTA F40PH-2C 1050 wrote:Per a yahoo CSX Sightings posting earlier by dicktc13, Q264 came East all the way to Framingham today, 3/11...Anyone know if this is the new move for them, or if the power just needed to be WYE'd for Cab signal purposes? Haven't heard that symbol down this way in a very long time

A lot of power being wyed in Framingham to get a good leader heading west…perhaps CSX wore out their welcome for wying power on the P&W.

The P&W is only allowing us to wye power on trains that we interchange cars with them on. ie Q422/Q423 and Q022. All other power has to go to Framingham to be turned. Lately the Q012 if it arrives at it normal time will grab the power that needs turning off of Support 2 track and head to Framingham before the afternoon commute time.

johnpbarlow wrote:In late January or early February 2014 after one or our major snowfalls, CSX parked 4 locomotives (1 CSX + 3 ICE/DME SD40s) and several multilevel cars at Framingham's CP yard, crewless but ready to head west. I don't know if ML cars were loads or mts. My guess is the train's presence in Framingham was due to weather induced traffic congestion at E Brookfield. I was startled to see this to say the least!

That train was just returning empty auto racks back to the Cleveland area. They came in a couple of month's prior to that on an extra move from Cleveland, and they were sent to the CP yard for storage, empty.

None. But do they even need it now when 5 years of power rotation out of Selkirk has worked for them without any major problems? Doesn't seem like they've had all that many breakdowns requiring P&W engine house to bail them out. Their main growth vector east of Worcester is the joint Pan Am SEPO/POSE job where PAR gives CSX's power as-needed refueling for the return trip. The slate of Eastern MA locals is just going to keep getting ever more consolidated as they shed territory and get more yard/port/interchange-centric with all manner of non-IM freight, so if regular IM and SEPO traffic alone haven't created enough urgency to move away from the Selkirk rotation and back to a local power pool...that urgency's going to keep getting less not more with time.

The Berkshire sub is great for those like me that like to enjoy some hiking & watch trains at the same time. This spot is along the Keystone Bridge Trail outside of Chester, MA. Not the best lighting, but definitely secluded for those who are into that sort of thing. Nice to hear those locomotives really working too, no coasting along at 60mph in the mountains.

Looks like some signal work being done on the B&A east of Springfield. The old type G tri-lights are coming down and new modern signals are going up. Could see excavation work being done around the base of them at Athol Jct and the new towers are already standing (one with heads installed but turned away) where the double track slims to one before the Wilbraham town line along Verge St. Anyone know if how far east this is going?

Happened to be at an event in Chatham last night for the first time. Got to see the old switch and lead for the northern end of the Harlem line. Was curious if CSX has any business in the old Chatham yard. I saw acouple of siding tracks on the southside and one track on the northside of the main line. I didn't have much time to venture out and it was dark. Would like to make another trip up there during the daylight and was curious about the yard and any local business....

I don't believe that there are any customers in Chatham anymore but I think that CSX uses some of the old yard tracks for MOW equipment. The only customer in that area is a feed mill in Niverville about 8 miles to the west. It used to be serviced by the Pittsfield local but CSX recently abolished that local so I don't know if they still receive freight service anymore. CSX has dumped what remaining customers there were in Pittsfield and the surrounding area. There not interested in serving the small online customers.

Q424 has taken over servicing Carovail in Niverville since the Pittsfield local was abolished. That industry has a little track mobile and a run around track so Q424 just puts the loads on their spur. They switch and spot them with the track mobile. Q424 also takes the empties to Pittsfield and adds them to the Housatonic's Selkirk traffic. That usually gets taken to Selkirk by Q425, or another road freight if Q425 is to big or short on time.

Polymatrix on the hill east of CP 147 in Pittsfield still gets cars. They are serviced by a West Springfield local. Their loads go all the way to West Springfield on Q424.

Last edited by Ironman on Thu May 17, 2018 7:21 am, edited 2 times in total.